Framework structures



Sept. 15, 1959 D. R. GAMLEN FRAMEWORK STRUCTURES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledJune 26, 1958 P 15, 1959 D. R. GAMLEN p 2,904,360

I FRAMEWORK STRUCTURES Filed June 26, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ofiice2,904,360 Patented Sept.. 15, 1959 FRAMEWORK STRUCTURES Donald ReginaldGamlen, Southampton, England, assignorto Hallam, Sleigh & ChestonLimited, Birmingham, England, a British company Application June 26,1958', Serial No. 744,816

This invention relates to framework structures for use in theconstruction of cabinets andracks such as are used for housingelectronic equipment, boxes, tables, desks and other furniture, and thelike, said structures being of the kind comprising separate frame barsconnected together at the corners of the structure by means ofthree-armed corner piecesithe arms of which extend in the directionso'f'the respective bars. 'In'the case of a skeleton framework of "thiskind for use in constructing aicabinet or box there would be, at top andbottom, horizontal bars at right-angles or other angles to one anotherand connected by the corner pieces to vertical corner bars, all the barshaving provision whereby panels may be attached to them to completetheenclosure. In the case ofa table, however, there would only be tophorizontal and transverse bars connected by the corner-pieces tovertical "legmembers, a panel to formfthe table top-being supported onsaid top bars, the spaces between the leg members being left en.

Heretofore the bars have been connected to the corner pieces by means ofa number of screws, bolts and nuts or rivets at each end, said screws orthe like beingpassed through both overlapping parts, and being visiblefrom the outside. A large number of such screws or the like wererequired for the complete structure, and although a very rigid structurewas obtained, the drilling of the necessary holes and the fitting of thescrews or the like has required alarge amount of time and labour.

The object of the present invention is to provide a framework structurein which the parts can be rapidly assembled without loss ofrigidity,andin which the connecting means are concealed-from view from theexterior of the structure.

According to the invention, in a framework structure of the kindreferred to, for cabinets, racks, boxes, tables andother furniture andthe like, the frame bars are of a cross-sectional shape which providesat the back a longitudinal recess or hollow interior having alongitudinal restricted entrance slot or mouth which is of a width lessthan. the maximum interior width of. saidrecess, or interior, and eachbar is connectedto anarm ofacorner piece of the structure by means of abolt having thereon a head or n'ut which interlockingly engages the saidrecess or interioiythe shank of the bolt being engaged in an aperture inthe corner-piece arm so that when thebolt is tightened upthe bar will besecurely fixed to the corner piece.

Figure-l of the accompanying drawings is'a perspective view of a topcorner piece andporti'ons of its associated frame bars, constructed andadapted for connection in accordance with the present invention, thesaid corner pieceand bars being shown separated from one another.

Figure 2 is an inside perspective View of the saidcorner pieceand barswhen assembled.

Figure 3' is a, perspective viewof one of. the corner pieces.

Figure 4 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 5 is a cross-section through one of the frame bars.

Figure 6 is a cross-section through an assembled frame bar and cornerpiece.

Figure 7 is a similar cross-section through a modified form of frame barand assembled corner piece.

Figure '8' is a section through another form of bar and corner piece.

Figure 9 is an interior perspective view of. a lower corner of thestructure showing how the corner piece may be utilised forcarrying ahinge.

Figure '10 is a crossesectional'view showing a modified arrangement ofthe fixing bolt wherein" the union the bolt is located within theinterior of theframe'bar;

Referring toFigures 1 to 6 of thesaid drawings, which show bar andcorner piece members suitablefor use in connection with a' skeletonframework for a cabinet or box, the framework wouldhave six sides formedby eight separate corner pieces connected together by separate metalbars, some of the bars being longitudinal top and bottom bars, otherstransverse'top and bottom bars, and the remainder vertical corner bars,adjacent ends of horizontal, transverse and vertical bars being seatedupon and connected to the respective three arms of a corner piece.

Each corner piece comprises a dome-shaped or radius'ed central part 1from which extend the three arms 2, 2, 2,. for supporting the frame bars3,- 3, 3, two of said arms extendinghorizontally at right-angles andthethird being vertical, and each arm being set-down or steppedin relationto the central part 1' of the corner piece so that when the frame barsare seated onthe arms they lie'flus'h with the central part. Each arm isobliquely fi'at on its outer face at 4, with flanges '5 at its edges,toform a seat-' in g surface forafram'e bar 3,.andit is drilled witha'hole: 6 to receive a fixing bolt ashereinafter described.

The frame bars S'are each'cut froman'extruded sec-- tioned strip to therequired length to suit the size of -thecabinet to be constructed, andare of a sectional shape such as to' form a transversely-curvedlongitudinal'outer central part7 and set-down or stepped flanges 8 atopp0-- site'edges, said flanges, which seat on the'edge flanges 5 ofthecorner-piece arms, being in planes at-right-angl'es: and beingintendedto-have the cabinet panels attached-to them,

Each frame bar '3 has a longitudinal recess or 'hollow' interior.bounded, at the back, by-twoobliqueandaligned flat flanges 9 which form,with the curved front, asegmentaleshaped recess, and which are:separated-at the middle, between their opposed edges, by a longitudinalslot '10 of considerably less width'than the maximum-interior width ofthe recess. The -flat flanges9 can beseated on the flat oblique surfaces4 of. the corner-piece-arms, as shown inFigures 2 and 6.

In order toconnect an-end of a bar 3 to" the appropriate corner-piecearm 2,- a screw-bolt 11 havinga-hexagonal head 12 is employed. Thishead, which is of a greater width thanthatof the slot 10. in-the bar3,-. is engaged within the hollow interior of bars together with-enassociated washer 13, by slidingthe shank of. the bolt into said slot 10from one end of the bar. before the latter is assembled to the cornerpiece, the bolt thus. being interlocked with the bar. The said bar 3-isthenv seated on the corner-piece arm 2 so that the projecting shank ofthe bolt enters the hole 6in the arm 2 andprojjects from the innerface-of the'arm. A washer Misplaced 'overtlie bolt'shank anda'nut 15 isscrewedon to thethreadedend of the shank. When this nut is tightened itwill, by means of the boltihead -ll and washer lfi, drawdownthe bar 3firmly on to i the outer surface of? the corner-piece arm 2, with itsouter curved "part 7 flu'shzwiththe' domedcenti'e part1 of the cornerpiece. v e 5? In order to prevent the bolt 11 from turning: whilst thenut 15 is being tightened, the outer part 7 of each bar is provided, onits interior face, with two parallel ribs 16 spaced apart by a distanceequal to the width across two facets of the bolt head 12, and the saidbolt head engages between the ribs, as shown in Figure 6.

The corner pieces are conveniently formed as die castings and thevertical arm 2 may have a-longitudinal thickened rib 17 through whichthe bolt hole 6 is formed. This rib engages the slot 10 of a bar 3 andit is drilled with a longitudinal hole 18 (Figure 2) which can receive ahinge pin 19, as shown in Figure 9 (in connection With the bottom cornerpiece), for mounting a hinge 20.

In the modification shown in Figure 7, the bolt 11 which clamps the bar3 to the arm 2 of the corner piece, is prevented from turning, when thenut 15 is tightened, by reason of its hexagonal head 12 engaging betweeninwardly-extending ribs 21 provided on opposite walls of the hollowinterior of the bar 3. In this form, the side flanges 8 of the bar areshown disposed in planes which form an obtuse angle between them.

Any other suitable means may be provided for preventing rotation of thebolt. For example, the hollow i11- terior of the bar may have flatparallel interior side walls or surfaces between which the bolt headslidably fits. If a bolt with a slotted head is used, a projection onthe interior surface of the part 7 of the bar could engage the slot. Ora coach-type bolt may be used provided, below the head, with flat facesthat fit the slot 10 of the bar 3.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 8, the central curved part7 of each frame bar 3 forms, with the stepped flanges 8, atransversely-curved longitudinal groove or recess 22 at the back of thebar, the side walls 23 of such groove or recess being in radial planesat right-angles to one another, so as to form, across the outer cornersof these walls, a longitudinal entrance slot or mouth which is of lesswidth than the maximum interior width of the groove or recess, that is,across the inner ends of said radially-disposed side walls. The recessor groove 22 is thus of substantially dovetail or undercut section. v

In order to connect an end of a bar to the appropriate corner-piece arm2 (which may be transversely curved), the bolt 11 has a largetransversely-curved head 24 of rectangular contour with bevelled ends,and of generally dovetail shape in end elevation, being of a thicknessand width such as to correspond, in cross-section, to thecross-sectional shape of the dovetail groove or recess 22 in the bar.The head is slid into the groove of the bar from one end thereof beforethe bar is assembled, being thus interlocked therewith, and said bar isthen seated on the corner-piece arm so that the projecting shank of thebolt enters the pre-drilled hole 6 in the said arm and projects from theinterior face of the arm. A washer 25, shaped to fit the curved interiorsurface of the arm 2 but having a flat outer face, is placed over thesaid end of the bolt and a nut 15 is screwed on to the threadedextremity of the bolt. When this nut is tightened up it will bear on theflat face of the washer and, by means of the dovetail head 24, will drawthe bar down firmly on to the outer surface of the comerpiece arm.

Instead of the fixed head of the securing bolt being located within theframe bar 3 and tightened by a nut behind the arm 2 of a corner piece,the bolt 11 may be reversed as shown in Figure 10, the nut 15 beingwithin the interior of the bar 3, and the head 12 of the bolt beingbehind the arm 2. The nut 15 may be prevented from turning by anysuitable means, such as by the ribs 16 (as in Figure 6).

In any of the above-described constructions one or both side flanges 8on the frame bars may be omitted if desired. The slotted form of framebar shown in Figures 1 to 7 and Figures 9 and 10 enables variousfittings, such as brackets, plates ,to be fixed to the bars 4 at anyintermediate points between the corner pieces, as by means of T-boltsslidable in the slots.

I claim:

l. A framework structure comprising corner pieces each having threesymmetrically-disposed arms extending in different directions from acentral body part and each being set down in relation to said centralbody part to form a shoulder therewith, in combination with three framebars of non-circular cross sectional shape seated on the respective armswith their ends in abutting relation with the shoulders thereof and eachhaving an outer surface along the middle portion lying flush with thesurface of the central part of an arm, each of said arms having sideflanges at an angle to one another joined by an apertured intermediatepart disposed in a general oblique direction between said flanges, andeach frame bar having, at opposite sides of the middle portion, flangesat an angle to one another and seating upon the side flanges of acorner-piece arm, each said frame bar also having at the back alongitudinal recess provided with a restricted entrance slot of a widthless than the maximum interior width of said recess, and the bar beingconnected to an arm of the corner piece by means of a fixing bolt whichextends through the apertured arm and the entrance slot of the bar andwhich has a part of larger size than the width of said slot, which partslidably and interlockingly engages within the recess of the bar.

2. A framework structure according to claim 1, wherein one projection isprovided on a bar, within the hollow interior thereof, for engagementwith the part on the bolt which engages within said interior, in orderto prevent rotation of said part.

3. A framework structure according to claim 2, wherein the interiorsurface of a bar is provided with two parallel spaced ribs which engagethe part on the bolt to prevent rotation thereof.

4. A framework structure comprising corner pieces each having threesymmetrically-disposed arms extending in diiferent directions from acentral body part and each set down in relation to said central bodypart to form a shoulder therewith, in combination with three frame barsof non-circular cross-sectional shape seated on the respective arms withtheir ends abutting against the shoulders thereof, each of said armshaving side flanges disposed at an angle to one another and joined by anapertured intermediate part disposed in a general oblique directionbetween said flanges, and each frame bar having, at opposite sides,flanges at an angle to one another and seating upon the side flanges ofa corner piece arm, each said frame bar also having a longitudinalrecess at the back provided with a restricted entrance slot of a widthless than the maximum interior width of said recess, and the bar beingconnected to an arm of the corner piece by means of a fixing bolt whichextends through the apertured arm and the entrance slot of the bar andwhich has a part of larger size than the width of said slot, which partslidably and interlockingly engages within the recess of the bar.

5. A framework structure according to claim 4, wherein each of the framebars has a longitudinal interior bounded, at the back, by two obliqueand aligned flat flanges separated by a longitudinal slot for receivingthe fixing bolt, and the corresponding arm of a corner piece has a flatoblique intermediate part joining the side flanges, the said flanges ofthe frame bar seating upon the said flat oblique part of the arm.

6. A framework structure according to claim 4, wherein each frame barhas at the back a shallow longitudinal recess of dovetail form curvedtransversely to correspond to the convex outer surface of the bar, saidrecess being bounded at opposite sides by converging bevelled walls toform an entrance slot of less width than the maximum interior width ofthe recess, and the said frame bar being connected to an arm of a cornerpiece by means of a bolt having a curved head with opposite bevellededges and conforming to the cross-sectiona1 shape of the recess in thebar, being in slidable engagement with said recess.

7. A framework structure according to claim 4, wherein one of the armsof the corner piece is vertical and is provided at the back with athickened rib having a vertical socket hole for receiving a door hingepin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSBlaisdell Feb. 13, 1900 Marr May 28, 1907 Wheary June 14, 1921 RosendaleJuly 25, 1939 Glass Sept. 17, 1957

